Crowdsourcing definition

Using a large and frequently varied group of people, typically online, to outsource tasks, ideas, or services is referred to as crowdsourcing. 

Description

As per the word, crowdsourcing meaning indicates the use of the combined knowledge, abilities, and contributions of a "crowd" or community rather than just a company's internal resources or expertise. 

This method can be applied to various tasks, including innovation, data collection, issue solving, idea generating, and content creation. Crowdsourcing is frequently used to gain access to a larger pool of talent, ideas, and viewpoints, leading to flexible and affordable solutions.

Importance of Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing is crucial because it facilitates the collection of ideas, data, and solutions from a sizable and diverse population. This can lead to:

1. More Creative Solutions: Many minds can develop better ideas and solutions than just a few.
2. Cost Savings: It's often cheaper than hiring experts or doing everything in-house.
3. Faster Results: A crowd can work on multiple tasks simultaneously, speeding up projects.
4. Diverse Perspectives: You get input from people with different backgrounds and experiences.
5. Engagement: It encourages community participation and involvement.
6. Innovation: Crowdsourcing can result in the creation of novel and inventive goods, services, or solutions.

How to do crowdsourcing?

Here are step-by-step pointers for implementing crowdsourcing:

1. Define Your Objective: Clearly outline what you want to achieve through crowdsourcing.
2. Choose the Right Platform: Select an appropriate platform or method for crowdsourcing.
3. Set Clear Guidelines: Provide clear instructions and guidelines to participants.
4. Attract Contributors: Promote your crowdsourcing initiative to reach a broad and relevant audience.
5. Facilitate Communication: Create a channel for communication and collaboration among participants.
6. Manage and Moderate: Monitor the crowdsourced contributions and moderate discussions if necessary.
7. Acknowledge and Reward: Recognize and appreciate contributors' efforts.
8. Analyse and Implement: Evaluate the collected input, ideas, or solutions.
9. Share Results: Share the results of your crowdsourcing initiative with participants and the wider community.
10. Iterate and Improve: Use feedback to improve future initiatives.
11. Legal and Ethical Considerations: Be mindful of legal and ethical considerations.
12. Feedback Loop: Establish a feedback loop with participants to keep them informed about progress and outcomes.

Future trends in Crowdsourcing

Future trends in crowdsourcing are likely to include the following:

1. AI Integration: Increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms to enhance crowdsourcing platforms, automate tasks, and improve the quality of contributions.
2. Blockchain for Trust: Implementation of blockchain technology to enhance trust, transparency, and security in crowdsourcing transactions, particularly in areas like supply chain management and data verification.
3. Decentralised Autonomous Organizations (DAOs): The rise of DAOs, which are organisations governed by smart contracts and decentralised decision-making, allowing participants to have direct control over projects and resources.
4. Data Labelling and Annotation: There is a growing demand for crowdsourced data labelling and annotation services to support machine learning and AI training data requirements.
5. Niche Crowdsourcing Platforms: The emergence of specialised crowdsourcing platforms tailored for specific industries or tasks, providing more targeted solutions.
6. Quantum Crowdsourcing: Exploration of crowdsourcing applications in the field of quantum computing and quantum technologies as these areas continue to advance.
7. Crowdfunding for Equity: Expansion of equity crowdfunding, allowing investors to own a stake in companies, not just receive rewards or donations, with evolving regulatory frameworks.
8. Remote Work and Gig Economy: The gig economy's continued growth may lead to more crowdsourcing opportunities as remote workers contribute to various projects and tasks.
9. Crowdsourced Innovation: More organisations leveraging crowdsourcing to foster innovation, solve complex problems, and drive product development.
10. Global Collaboration: Increased cross-border collaboration, enabling individuals and businesses to access talent and expertise from around the world.

Crowdsourcing Platforms

Some of the popular crowdsourcing platforms under different categories include:

General Crowdsourcing Platforms:

1. Amazon Mechanical Turk: Offers a marketplace for tasks that require human intelligence.
2. Upwork: A platform for freelancers offering a wide range of services.
3. Freelancer: Connects businesses with freelancers for various projects.
4. Gigster: Focuses on software development and design projects.
5. Topcoder: Specialises in crowdsourced software development and design challenges.
6. Clickworker: Provides micro-jobs and tasks for remote workers.

Idea and Innovation Crowdsourcing:

1. IdeaScale: Helps organisations collect and manage innovative ideas from their communities.
2. Spigit: Supports idea generation, innovation management, and crowdsourced problem-solving.

Crowdfunding Platforms:

1. Kickstarter: Popular for creative projects and product launches.
2. Indiegogo: Supports various types of crowdfunding campaigns, including creative, tech, and social impact projects.
3. GoFundMe: Primarily used for personal fundraising and charitable causes.

Data Labelling and AI Crowdsourcing:

1. Labelbox: Offers data labelling and annotation services for machine learning and AI.
2. Scale: Specialises in AI training data for autonomous vehicles, robotics, and more.

Design and Creative Crowdsourcing:

1. 99designs: Connects businesses with freelance designers for design projects.
2. DesignCrowd: Specialises in design contests and creative services.
3. Tongal: Focuses on crowdsourced video content and advertising campaigns.

Crowdsourcing for Nonprofits and Social Impact:

1. CrowdRise (by GoFundMe): Crowdfunding platform for charitable and nonprofit organisations.
2. Kiva: Provides microloans to entrepreneurs and small businesses in underserved communities.

Example 

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is one of India's largest IT services and consulting companies. TCS has utilised crowdsourcing as a part of its innovation initiatives. One notable program is the TCS CodeVita, an annual global coding contest. 

CodeVita invites students from around the world to participate, solve coding challenges, and compete for prizes. This initiative taps into the global coding community to discover and nurture talent while solving real-world coding problems. 

It's an example of how a prominent Indian brand leverages crowdsourcing to foster innovation and talent development.

FAQ

What is the difference between crowdsourcing and crowdfunding?

Crowdsourcing involves soliciting ideas, information, or contributions from a large group of people for various tasks or projects. Crowdfunding, on the other hand, is a specific type of crowdsourcing focused on raising funds for projects, causes, or ventures by collecting contributions from a crowd.

Is crowdsourcing only done online?

While online platforms are common for crowdsourcing, it can also be conducted offline. Offline crowdsourcing may involve in-person events, workshops, or surveys to gather input and contributions from a local community or group of individuals.

Are participants in crowdsourcing initiatives compensated?

Compensation in crowdsourcing varies. In some cases, participants receive financial rewards, while in others, they may receive non-monetary incentives like recognition, access to exclusive content, or the satisfaction of contributing to a cause.

What are the ethical considerations in crowdsourcing?

Ethical considerations in crowdsourcing include issues related to fair compensation, consent, privacy, and ensuring that participants are treated respectfully and their contributions are appropriately acknowledged. Data security and intellectual property rights are also important ethical considerations in crowdsourcing initiatives.